Poultry picking method



Feb. 4, 1958 D. B. VAN DOLAH ET'AL 4 POULTRY PICKING METHOD OriginalFiled Dec. 17, 1951 INVENTORS 0540s a. V4 0001/! States nt- POULTRYPICKING METHOD Delos B. Van Dolah and Irvin R. Lentz, Chicago, Ill.,

assignors to Swift & Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of IllinoisOriginal application December .17, 1951, Serial No. 261,998, now PatentNo. 2,716,257, dated August 30, 1955. Divided and this applicationOctober 20, 1954, Serial No. 463,436

6 Claims. (CI. 1745) The present inventionrelates to the dressing ofpoultry. A principal object of the invention is the speedy removal ofthe feathers across the back of the birds, the back of the wings, andareas adjacent thereto.

One of the advantages of the instant method and apparatus isthethoroughness with which the picking is accomplished. Compared to theconventional practices of picking poultry, the present method andapparatus leaves the picked areas extremely clean.

A further advantage is that through the use of the instant invention theflesh of the birds in the picked areas is not damaged. Obviously damageto the birds such as occurs in many instances during picking reduces themarket value of the birds.

The method and apparatus of the instant invention has the advantage thatexisting picking machines and conveying equipment may be converted topractice the invention with relatively inexpensive modificationsthereof.

Other objects and advantages include: the small amount of hand laborinvolved in practicing the invention and the fact that that labor neednot be skilled; the simplicity of the apparatusnormally used inpracticing the invention; and the necessity of adding no additionalmoving parts to existing picking equipment if it is desired to convertexisting equipment ratherthan fabricate new machines.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of an embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the positioning and head pulling structure ofthe embodiment of Fig. 1.

The method we have devised for the effective picking of the backs of thebirds and the back of the wings thereofis to support the birds by thenecks and legs and to hold the birds so supported in contact with theflexible picking fingers of a drum type picking machine. By rotating thebirds first to one side and then to the other additional areas aroundthe wings and the sides of the birds may be cleaned.

Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of this concept including aflexible-fingered, drum-type picking machine generally 10 through whichthe individual birds are carried by supporting means generally 11.Supporting means 11 includes a power-driven overhead conveyor 12 and aneck and leg holding shackle 13 attached to the conveyor 12 by means ofa chain 14. Generally speaking, various types of neck and leg holdingshackles 13 may be used. We prefer to use the one illustrated anddescribed in Patent No. 2,667,660, the disclosure of which patent isincluded herein by reference.

Picking machine 10 includes a frame 16 covered by a shield 17. Suitablyjournaled in frame 16 are a pair of picking drums 18 and 19. Each ofdrums 18 and 19 have a plurality of relatively long flexible pickingfingers 20 attached thereto.

Drum 18 has a pulley 21 secured thereto, which pulley is connected by abelt 22 to a pulley 23 on a motor 24.

, 2,821,741 Patented Feb. 4, 1958 'ice Preferably pulleys 21 and 23 areso positioned with respect to each other and to the speed of motor 24that drum 18 will be driven at a speed of approximately 375 revolutionsper minute. The direction of rotation of drum 18 is indicated by arrow25.

Similarly, drum 19 is driven from a motor 27 by means of pulleys 2.8 and29 secured respectively to the motor and drum, and a belt 30interconnecting the two pulleys. Preferably the speed of drum 19 isabout revolutions per minute although some leeway may be allowed in thisspeed and still obtain substantially the same results. The direction ofrotation of drum 19 is indicated by arrow 30.

Along the line of movement, as indicated by center line 32, of theconveyor through the picking machine is positioned a guide bar 33, thetwo ends of which are bent back about the ends of the slower moving drumto form a mounting means attached to frame 16. The elevation of theguide bar is such that it will contact the side of the shackle above thefeet of the birds, as seen in Fig. 1.

At a slightly lower elevation than guide bar 33 is a spacer bar 35. Thespacer bar 35 is substantially closer to the faster moving drum 18 thanit is to the slower drum 19. At the entering end of the picking machine10 (the direction of movement of the birds through the machine isillustrated by arrows 36 in Fig. 2) the guide bar extends some distancebeyond the end of the drums in order to give an operator time to loopthe necks of the birds over the spacer bar and secure them in aneck-holding portion 37 of shackle 13. Beyond this extension, which isindicated by the number 38, the spacer bar turns downwardly to form amounting means connected back to frame 16.

At the exit end of the machine, the spacer bar has a re-entrant portion40 after which the spacer bar 35 turns outwardly to form a mountingmeans connected to frame 16. Preferably the re-entrant portion is ofsmaller diameter material than is the remainder of the spacer bar andslants upwardly in the direction of movement of the birds through themachine. In the illustrated embodiment, the majority of spacer bar 35 isformed from pipe while the re-entrant portion, which forms a head pulleras subsequently described, is formed of /2 rod welded to the pipe.

Attached to spacer bar 35 and spaced between the ends of the drum is anoffset 41, the two ends of which are at a diagonal with respect to thespacer bar while the central portion is generally parallel thereto. Thisoffset turns the birds as they pass through the picking machine tofacilitate the cleaning thereof as hereinafter described. In theillustrated embodiment, the amount of the offset is approximately 3".

Drum 18 is set at such a height with respect to the movement of thebirds along the conveyor that the ends of fingers 20 of drum 18 firststrike the back of the bird in the area adjacent the base of the neckthereof (the shoulder area) and thence work down the back of the birdsand the backs of the wings. The drum should not be set so high that thefingers will wrap over the birds injuring the birds and pulling thenecks from the holder 37.

The slower moving drum 19 should be set at such a height that thefingers 20 of drum 19 work against the bottom of the bird to hold itinto the fingers of the faster moving drum 18.

The present method and apparatus are preferably used in the processingline after the legs of the birds have been hung in the shackles and thebirds have been scalded. In some installations, the birds so processedmay have been passed through a slant, roughing machine before thepresent picking method and apparatus are employed,

As the bii'dsso hung approach the pass along the exup and behind theextensioni38 so that the bird is looped over. the. ,spacer bar 35 withboth the legs andthe neck hanging.in-lthefshackle 13. The shackle andthe. spacer bar along with the ,g uide bar andlthe slower moving .druml9form an aligning means-sto hold the bird in proper position for mosteffective picking or the' -shoulders andbacks of the birds as wellasthe'backs of the wings thereof. 'Asthe' birds, passl-through-.the machine,

the offset 41 turns the' birds first .one way as the neck rides up onJthediagonal, portion of the offsetand then the other way asthe neckrides down 'the othendiagonal portion of the o'fis'ettdfur'ther thecleaning ofthe backs of the wings andfadja'cehbareas ofthe) body of'the' bird.

As the' biid leaves "the picking drums, the neck is caught in re-entrantportion 40 of,spacer bar 35 and the pull.of-the'shackle on"thelhead-arid feet of 'the'birds while 'the neck is caught in the.re-entrant, portion detaches"theheadlfrom' the neck. "At the same time,the esophagus is clamped inth'e re entrant. portion-40 so -that theesophagus is'br'oken adjacent thehead" rather than at thejunction of theesophagus and the crop.

The; foregoing description of a specific embodiment is for the purposeof complying with 35 U.- S. C.112 an'd "shouldn'ot be con'strued asimposing any-"unnecessary limitations uponthe appended claims. I

Thisapplication. is a division ofour prior application,

f'S."N.261,998, .filed"Decembe1- 17,1195.1, which is. now 'P'atent No..2,716,257.

"dual drum-type picking tnachine' to. produce a stroking actionfsaidmethod including the 'steps of supporting the "fowlbythe legsaiid 'theneck, subjecting one side of the fowl-to saidstrokingaction'at a givenrate,-. and 'simul- "taneously"subjectinganother 'side of the fowl.to-said stroking action at a lesser rate than the stroking action onsaid one side.

ZQ'ThemethOd ofpicking fowl witha'fiekibleffingered "dual drum-typepicking machine to produce a stroking action, 'said"method including thestepsof supporting the 'fowl'by the legs' arid the neck,- subjectingoneside ofthe fowl to said stroking action at a given rate,simultaneous- 'lysubjecting'another side 'of the fowl' to said strokingactionat a" lesser rate than the strokingaction on -said one side,- aridturning 'thefoWlfir'st in one I direction and then the other to subjectdifferent portions of the fowl "'tcrsaid"s'troking actton.

3. The method of picking fowl with a flexible fingered dual drum-typepicking machine to produce a stroking action, said method including thesteps of supporting the fowl by the legs and themeck, subjecting theback of the fowl to saidstrtaking action; and-simultaneously subjectingthe lower front portion of the fowl to said strok- "ing action atadesser r'ate' rh'an the= stroking a'ction' -on dual drum-type!*picking-r machine to produce a stroking aetiomsaidmethddzinehidingtthesteps of s'upporting the fowl by' the' legs andthemeek;subje'c'ting' one side '-of the fowl to said stroking action ata given ratef'anwsimultaneously subjecting another sidesof the fowl tosaid stroking action at a rate substantially half as rapid as thestroking-action on said one side. I A

. 5.: Themethod of: picking fowlwith-.aflexible-fingered 'dual"drum-type. pickingamachine to -produce a stroking action,said-methodincluding the steps; ofsupporting the fowlby-thelegs-and-=the "neck, subjecting-the shoulders and 'back ofi-the.fowl tosaidv stroking: action. at a-givcn rate, and simultaneouslyesubjecting the :bottom-and front portion of the fowl to said strokingactionata -substantially reduced rateofa-speed. r

1 6. The method of picking fowl with A a flexible fingered -dualdrum-type pickingmachineto prodnce-a stroking 30 action, said.methodainclu ding -the': steps of supporting the fowl. by -.the legs;and the-neck,- subjecting the shoulders and back of the fowl to saidstroking actionat-the rate of; about 3 revolutionsperwminn-te,andisimultaneously isubjectingnthe l bottorn'andifront; portionofthefowl to .said .strokingaction atl the rate of approximately 1-150revolutions, p rv minute.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDYSTATES PATENTS

